What do you REALLY think about yoga?

The beginning of a new season, new year, new contest is a good time for renewed commitment and dedication. We take the time to reflect on where we are and where we would like to be.

For those of you who have been practicing yoga for a while, it is also a time to consider what yoga REALLY means to you. Does it mean one thing to you when you tell others about it but something different when you are in a 90-minute class that is pushing you? Do you think positively about it when you have less back pain and more mobility but not so positively when you have to force yourself to brave the elements to get to class? Are there times when it is more checklist and challenge than a channel to a healthy lifestyle?

You aren’t alone! Author, blogger and yogi Dave Ursillo describes his love/hate relationship with yoga in this blog post. But, in the post he also says, “Yoga is a practice and engaging in that practice reflects your state of being back to you like a mirror. It shows you where your head and heart are at, right now. Yoga allows you to open yourself up if you’re feeling too closed off — maybe a bad day, maybe some stresses on the mind, maybe you’ve just forgotten that people are everything and that’s why you’ve felt so isolated within yourself lately.”

The verb “practice” is “to perform or do repeatedly in order to acquire skill or proficiency”. Notice it mentions nothing about acquiring a love for something! But to “engage” is “to attract and hold fast”. So, are you just practicing yoga or are you engaged?

At Sunrise Yoga Studio, we are currently involved with a 30 Day Yoga Challenge. We are very excited by those who have chosen to participate and we hope that, at the end of the 30 days, you have developed not only a deeper commitment, but an engaging practice. Let us know how we can help!